HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The contest for Montana’s lone U.S. house seat will end Tuesday either with a winner who banked on his military past to become elected or with one who worked to break out from political aide to politician.
In his first run for office, John Lewis is stepping out of the long shadow cast by longtime boss, former U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, and make the case that he is the Democrat to take back the House seat held by Republicans since 1997.
Lewis spent 12 years as a political aide to Baucus. He served as field organizer for Baucus’ 2002 re-election campaign and eventually became state director.
Lewis, 36, has run largely based on policy ideas he released on more than a dozen issues from promoting access to health care to creating jobs to reforming Congress.
“I think that people see that there’s an opportunity for electing two young people who represent working people, real people,” Lewis said of he and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Amanda Curtis.
Standing in Lewis’s way for the seat is Ryan Zinke, a 52-year-old former Navy SEAL commander and state senator who is looking to keep the open seat under Republican control.
Zinke’s 23-year Navy career, which includes time on SEAL Team 6, has been the focal point of his campaign. The 53-year-old from Whitefish also served in the Montana Senate from 2008 to 2012.
Libertarian Mike Fellows is also running for the House seat.
Republican Rep. Steve Daines is stepping down due to his bid for U.S. Senate.
The Zinke and Lewis campaigns have been shaped over the issues of managing public lands, the Affordable Care Act, energy and women and families, among others.
Lewis has hit hard on the issue of transferring federally-managed public lands to the state in part because Zinke signed a pledge two years ago that included the idea and because the state’s Republican Party added it to their platform.
Lewis supports further protection for public lands.
Zinke has said he no longer believes in transferring lands to the state but wants to require that local governments have a say in their management.
Zinke’s campaign has tried to paint Lewis as a Washington, D.C., insider because of his career with Baucus. The Zinke camp has repeatedly accused Lewis of writing at least some of the Affordable Care Act because Baucus was the bill’s main sponsor.
Lewis adamantly denies that claim.
Lewis has pledged to support both traditional and renewable energy development including wind and solar power and tax credits for coal mining on Indian lands.
Zinke has said with fracking and coal the U.S. should become energy independent. Zinke also wants to streamline mining approvals and block the Obama administration’s plan to reduce greenhouse gases from coal power plants.
Democrats have filed a complaint against Zinke for receiving support from the political-action committee he founded, the Special Operations for America. They also called him out for releasing only some of his military records.
Zinke’s campaign released all of his records less than one week before Election Day. Many showed glowing reviews while one showed Zinke exhibited lapses in judgment related to issues with travel expenses.
Republicans have called for Lewis to provide any Affordable Care Act correspondence and emails from his work with Baucus.
Over five debates, on the airwaves and through thousands of miles logged, the candidates have sought to get their messages to voters. A Montana State University-Billings poll released Oct. 16 showed up to 25 percent of voters were still undecided in the race, however.
Lewis said because of that his door-knocking Monday in Helena could still make a difference.
“We’re finding it’s maybe more kind of they just don’t know a whole lot about myself or Ryan Zinke, and so we’re counting on them to make an informed decision,” Lewis said. “Anything could happen in the House race.”
Each returned to their respective hometowns to await the outcome of Tuesday’s election, Lewis to Helena and Zinke to Whitefish.